Stop Briscoe Field Expansion

Citizens for a Better Gwinnett (C4BG) opposes Briscoe Field privatization and expansion. C4BG is a volunteer, non-profit group established eighteen months ago to oppose issues which affect our quality of life. Join with us and let Gwinnett County Commissioners know you also care about the quality of life for yourself and your families.

It is our belief that the only profitable reason for any company to bid for the privatization of Briscoe Field would be to also eventually schedule passenger aviation at Briscoe Field which will devastate home values in the Lawrenceville area. The expansion willaffect as many as 158,139 residents, within five miles of Briscoe. Noise will continually interrupt the education of children at 40 area schools, not to mention the impact on the enjoyment of our homes and outdoor activities. Traffic on the already over-capacity roadways (Hwy 316, Hwy 20, & secondary roads) around Briscoe will be gridlocked. Our long-term health will be affected by jet fuel fallout, which is listed by the EPA as a primary source of benzene. The EPA classifies benzene as a Class A carcinogenic, which indicates it is a chemical known to cause cancer in humans.

Since expansion proponents have said they will not pay for any road improvements, improvements would have to be paid for with Gwinnett County and State of Georgia funds (our tax dollars).

Ultimately we expect the county to be asked to issue bonds for airport improvements, if the venture is unsuccessful; the county will have to repay the bonds with our tax dollars.

Please sign the petition expressing your position on this issue to our Board of Commissioners, this website will deliver your message and will also copy the Briscoe Citizens Review Committee and ultimately to the FAA.

It is very important that your individual efforts do not stop with a signature on this petition. Everyone needs contribute by taking the following actions:

As a resident of Gwinnett County we want to express our opposition to any expansion or commercialization of Briscoe Field.

For the past 20 plus years the policy of the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners has been to encourage residential development around Briscoe Field, to now change the nature of Briscoe Field would be a great injustice. Citizens living around Briscoe and in the fight path purchased their homes with the thought that Briscoe would always remain as a general aviation airport. When we moved to Gwinnett we knew Hartsfield was 50 miles south, and that was just one of the reasons we moved here. We didn’t, and still don’t want, to live near an airport operating passenger jets. We want as much peace and quiet as we can get. You cannot sound insulate our backyards, playgrounds, or parks. Noise will affect our sleep and our children’s education. We also have grave concerns about what noise will do to home values, Gwinnett Medical, both colleges, and the downtown Lawrenceville area. This will in turn affect the tax register and might cause taxes to be increased throughout the county to offset the diminished home values in the Lawrenceville area.

In addition, we anticipate passenger aviation will increase traffic demand on our roads (Hwy 316 & Hwy 20) that are already over capacity. We’ve been waiting 16 years for improvements to Hwy 316, how long will we have to wait for improvements due to airport traffic congestion? And who is going to foot the bill for the necessary road improvements? Taxpayers? We note that is us and we are already overtaxed.

What about the financial risk to the county? Can we really afford a grander, more expensive failure than Coolray Stadium? Once again it is “we” the taxpayers who will be on the hook and we don’t want to take the risk.

We elected you to represent us and protect us. Now is the time for you to protect our quality of life by removing any possible consideration of schedule passenger, charter passenger, or cargo service from operating at Briscoe Field.